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handwork continued Make the handle taper for a tight fit Thickness first. Start with an oversize, square handle and plane the sides until it fits snugly. Saw the tapers. Make a small crosscut at the narrowest part of the handle and then saw down into it, keeping to the waste side of the line. shape for comfort Flip it to finish the job. Turn the workpiece upside down to saw the flare at the bottom of the handle. Take long, even strokes. Plane in toward the narrow part of the handle, stopping before the sole of the plane gets lifted by the bottom. for the mortise so you can sneak up on a final, tight fit. Tackle the thickness first, taking light, even shavings with a bench plane and testing the fit against the mortise. Stop planing when the handle just begins to slide into the head. Lay out the handle’s shape by drawing a centerline and using it to mark and draw the taper at the top end of the handle, and an inverted taper at the bottom of the handle that forms the pommel. Make a small crosscut where the tapers intersect and then saw down to it, staying close to the waste side of the lines. Clean up the cuts with a handplane. 30 FINE wOODwOr KIN g Contour the grip. Last, shape the grip with a spokeshave so that it feels comfortable to hold. Taper until it’s gapless. Dry-fit the handle and keep planing the tapers until it fits perfectly. The handle should seat in the mortise without any play and the end of the handle should protrude roughly 11 ⁄4 in. from the top of the head. Dry-fit the handle inside the mortise frequently. Keep making even swipes on both sides of the taper with a handplane until it fits tightly. It’s a mechanical joint, so a good fit is important. Once the handle fits, shape the grip with a spokeshave, taking short, thin strokes to make a curve that is comfortable to hold. Chamfer the handle ends with a block plane, and finish the mallet with a thin coat of shellac and wax. Michael Cullen is a furniture maker in Petaluma, Calif. ☐